


Casualties of War

by Wizarmonfan (Copperfur)



Category: Digimon - All Media Types, Digimon Adventure tri.
Genre: F/M, Good guy actually isn't, Implied Betrayal, One-Sided Relationship
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-06
Updated: 2017-10-16
Packaged: 2018-12-11 20:46:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 10
Words: 8,999
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11722236
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Copperfur/pseuds/Wizarmonfan
Summary: [Pre-Tri/pre-01]. Canon AU. Maki expected Daigo to walk with her to school, expected him to try and confess to her again. What she didn't expect was a monster appearing in front of them and dragging them to another world that was in the midst of a war. Who will she side with in this Vaccine-Virus War?





	1. Shift in Routine

Maki wasn't sure what was making her so uneasy that morning. It was a typical Monday morning. The sun was rising as it always did every day. Her mother had been in the kitchen cooking breakfast for three, just like every day. Her father had been getting ready (doing his usual morning rituals) for a long day at the office like he did every day.

Maki had got ready at exactly six in morning. She got dressed, made sure her bed was made, checked to see if all her books and school supplies were in her bag, checked her phone to see if Daigo left a message saying that he was leaving his home (he always insisted on walking with her to school), made sure the cat had food and water and ate before meeting Daigo at the door when he arrived at 7:35 AM.

Every morning was routine. Every morning was like every day. So why was she feeling something was off? Maki tried to figure out what she did differently. Nothing, really. She did get ready like she usually did and was now walking to school while Daigo talked about a new movie that just came out and that they should see it.

"I heard this movie has a whole bunch of different monsters in it, dinosaurs and strange vampires, and talking cats and dogs, and birds that have super powers and…"

Maki sighed as Daigo talked on and on about the new movie that she had zero interest in. Maki had known Daigo since they were in kindergarten. They had a wonderful friendship, even if he liked to talk a lot and had a bad tendency to become easily emotional about the simplest things. Daigo was a good person and she liked him a lot, but he was just a friend. She didn't know when it started, nor did she want it to happen, but Daigo had started to see her as more than just his somewhat anti-social best female friend.

"It's supposed to be some type of adventure and comedy. I heard from some of my friends that it's really good. I think you would like this movie, Maki-chan!"

Maki remembered when he confessed a year ago. She had bluntly shot him down. She had no feelings for him. Daigo was her best friend. But that didn't seem to stop him, though. She wasn't sure if he was deaf, stubborn, or just plain clueless. She was going with the latter.

"Daigo-kun, I'm really not in the mood to see a movie. Besides, we have that project to do for History class."

"That project is not due for another two months," Daigo said, sounding very disappointed.

"I want to get it out of the way," Maki told him dryly as she continued walking.

"Come on, Maki-chan, you'll love it!" Daigo tried again. He gave her puppy eyes and pleaded with her, but Maki refused to change her mind. Daigo pouted, put off by Maki's stubbornness.

Maki sighed. They continued walking towards the school, Daigo in a quietly sullen mood.

"Daigo, please." Maki commented. Silence was still her answer. She sighed and shrugged. Oh well. Before she could keep going, she noticed something was off about the weather. It was hotter than what it should be.

At least, in her opinion, it was and this was April.

By now, it appeared that Daigo had come out of his mood as he, too, realized something was not right. A Gate of mysterious origin materialized in front of them and a strange creature walked out of it, turning towards them.

The creature was a blue and white dragon with wings and tail and a curved horn just above its nose. It walked towards them, a smile on its draconic face.

"Please come with me. You are needed in my world." The creature spoke politely, as it stopped in front of them.

Maki was scared of the creature herself, but wasn't going to admit it. She chanced a glance at Daigo and rolled her eyes. His lip was quivering and tears threatened to fall from his eyes.

Honestly, he was the type who wore his emotions on his sleeve.

She didn't.

"Why?" Maki found herself asking before she realized she'd said the words. She caught Daigo looking at her horrified, from the corner of her eye.

He shook his head. "Don't antagonize him!" Daigo whispered in a hiss.

Maki ignored him, waiting for the creature's response. It seemed like it wasn't going to reply at first, before it looked over its shoulder, as if anticipating something.

"My world is in danger and we Digimon need your help to save it. Forgive me for not introducing myself earlier. My name is XV-mon and I am a Digimon, a digital monster."

"A what?" Daigo exclaimed.

"I'm a Digimon," XV-mon repeated. "Our world, the Digital World, is parallel to your world. Our world was created from the technology of yours."

Daigo blinked, surprised, and took a moment to mull this over.

Maki, however, didn't seem to be impressed. "So?" She challenged. "Why'd you call us?"

The XV-mon shook his head sadly. "I apologize, but there's no more time for questions. I must take you with me."

He ran towards them, arms outstretched, preparing to grab them as a second Gate opened. The next thing they knew, they were between dimensions as XV-mon gripped them.


	2. Chapter 2

"We are going to die!"

 

He couldn't shake the overwhelming fear that filled him as the strange blue and white monster, XV-mon he called himself, grabbed them before they could be sucked into a secondary portal that opened up behind them.

 

Daigo wasn't sure if he should scream, beg for mercy, or all of the above as he and Maki were pulled into the first portal. Before the portal closed behind them, Daigo saw a vague outline of another monster within the other portal. Despite being far away to get a good glimpse of the other monster, Daigo had a very bad feeling. This other monster made him feel more afraid than this one. At least the blue and white monster felt somewhat safe with the way he held them in his arms.

 

 _We are going to die_. Daigo couldn't stop the low whimper that escaped him (or the silent chant he repeated in his mind) as XV-mon held them gently in his arms, while they floated down some kind of colourful space (which made him a little dizzy). _We are going to die_.

 

After what felt like forever, but was only several seconds, a bright light opened up in the distance. Daigo covered his eyes at the bright light. As they got closer, Daigo saw an image of a forest. He suddenly realized that the bright light was a portal opening to the monster's home world — the Digital World.

 

Daigo blinked his eyes as the monster exited through the portal, with it closing behind them. What he saw made his mouth drop open in shock.

 

Monsters.

 

Hundreds of them...

 

Fighting against each other.

 

The ground shook violently as several monsters attacked each other. Many monsters burst into particles as they screamed in agony and rage and others tried to retreat before they could be cut in half, burned or blasted.

 

The scent of death filled the air as he looked at the different monsters trying to kill each other. Tears filled his eyes as he saw smaller monsters that looked vaguely like children get slaughtered by weapons or burned alive or vaporized by some kind of beam from a monster’s mouth.

 

The sounds of explosions, the screams of the monsters, the clashing of weapons and the smell of fire made his throat tighten and dry. Daigo tried to blink away the tears as he choked down a sob.

 

It was horrible.

 

It was terrifying.

 

All this fighting and death and screaming of agony and rage.

 

It was horrifying.

 

It was war.

 

Daigo felt his heart go out to them. He wished there was something he could do to stop this. But what could he do? He was only human.

 

And then, an opportunity arose… in the form of his partner Digimon. “Daigo-kun!” A green insect-like creature called from under the cover of a bush, where it was sheltering with a cream-coloured puppy.

 

Daigo blinked as he turned towards the pair, before he was tackled off of his feet. _Whoa!_

 

“Daigo-kun, I’m so happy you’re here!” The insect Digimon began.

 

Daigo was in a state of disbelief. He literally had to remain stiff as this Digimon stood on his stomach, but the creature seemed to realize his mistake and got off of his partner. Daigo warily sat up, glancing over.

 

“Who are you?” The teen asked, short of crying.

 

This was too much to take in. That other ‘Digimon’, he had called himself, had practically kidnapped them and brought them to this strange, foreign world. And he expected them to save it? How were they going to do that, really?

 

“My name is Wormmon.” The creature introduced himself, waving his short arms excitedly. His partner was finally here. They could work together now to save the Digital World! “I am your partner Digimon.”

 

He backed up to look up at his human’s face, who had gotten to his feet immediately.

 

Daigo realized the appropriate thing to do would be to shake Wormmon’s ‘hand’. Grimacing, hoping the Digimon wouldn’t attack him while he did so, he grasped the insect Digimon’s limb.

 

If Wormmon could have frowned, he would have done so. He didn’t want his partner to be afraid of him.

 

“Please don’t be scared of me,” Wormmon requested of the boy.

 

He apologized to Daigo for any heavy-handed behaviour XV-mon may have used to get them to the Digital World, but explained it was crucial to arrive as soon as possible. The balance was starting to shift, which wasn’t good.

 

“I-I won’t,” Daigo answered, now understanding the urgency behind XV-mon’s actions. He shook Wormmon’s hand and gave a shaky grin when Wormmon gave a huge big smile to show how happy he was.

 

“Are you able to tell me more about the war?” The teen inquired.

 

Wormmon nodded, glancing around. “It’s a Vaccine-Virus war where Vaccine-attributed Digimon are fighting to defend themselves from the Virus-attributes. Plotmon and I,” he paused and motioned with a claw to the Digimon talking animatedly to Maki, “are Vaccine and Virus.”

 

Daigo nodded, trying to understand.

 

“Depending on our evolutions, we go either way sometimes.”

 

“I see,” Daigo answered. He understood more than what had been given to them before they came here. “So we have to choose a side?” He wasn’t silly; he knew enough about wars to know there were always sides and if you were on the wrong side, you lost. Simple.


	3. Chapter 3

Something did not feel right when they exited the portal of the monster’s home. There were monsters everywhere, fighting each other. What could be the cause of so much violence?

 

And then there was this small, white puppy staring at her with excited blue eyes. The puppy’s eyes seem to twinkle with excitement and... was that happiness? Why would this creature be happy to see her? Maki found herself blinking at the white puppy as she spoke.

 

“Maki-chan! Maki-chan! I’m so glad you’re here! I’ve been waiting forever for you!”

 

How did this creature know her name anyway and what was this about waiting for her? “Who are you?” she asked as she bent down on her knees.

 

“I’m your partner, Plotmon, Maki-chan!” The creature, Plotmon, said. “I’m a Digimon!”

 

“Like that blue monster that kidnapped us from our world then.” Maki’s voice was laced with a suspicious demeanour as she narrowed her eyes at the white puppy. She didn’t really like being kidnapped by some strange creature from another world. She couldn’t care less if this world was at war. That had nothing to do with her.

 

“Oh, Maki-chan…” Plotmon looked at her with wide blue eyes. “I’m so sorry for the way XV-mon handled things, but we had to get you here before they could destroy anything else. It was critical for the survival of both worlds.”

 

Maki frowned as she gazed at the Digimon that called herself her ‘partner’; whatever that was supposed to mean. Maki personally did not trust this creature. She could be lying for all she knew, but the tone in her voice told her she was being truthful and sincere. That really didn’t ease Maki’s mind, though. There was still the question of what the Digimon meant by having them here was critical to the survival of both worlds. Did she mean their world and whatever world they were at now? And who was this ‘they’ that Plotmon was speaking of?

 

“What do you mean it is critical for us to be here? And what is this place?”

 

“This is the Digital World, Maki-chan,” Plotmon said, flinching slightly when the shockwave of two Digimon’s attacks collided not far from them. “It is at war between the Virus Digimon and the Vaccines.” Plotmon seemed saddened about this.

 

 _Well, that explains the monsters attacking each other_. Maki glanced up and saw two Digimon with attacking each other in the sky. They were awfully close. “I’m a Vaccine and Wormmon is a Virus.” Maki glanced at Daigo and saw him nervously talking to the insect-like Digimon. _Figures. He will never change_.

 

“You two seem to get along,” Maki remarked as she returned her attention to her partner.

 

“Not all Virus and Vaccines hate each other,” Plotmon said as she gazed at Wormmon with a fond smile.

 

“So why are we here then?” Maki asked with a frown forming on her features.

 

“You see, Maki-chan, this war has been going on for decades.”

 

“That’s a long time,” Maki observed. Maki understood why her partner was worried, but what did that have to do with her and Daigo?

 

“It is,” Plotmon agreed. “Too long to be honest. The two sides had been at war for so long that the very balance of both worlds are in danger.”

 

“What you mean by both worlds?”

 

“Well,” Plotmon began as she looked at the destruction caused the battles around them. “The war has gotten to the point that the balance between good and evil has shifted.” Maki raised a brow at that. How did this involve them, though? “My home, the Digital World, is directly connected to your world.” Maki blinked at that. “There is a rumour that the Virus attributes have a weapon that could destroy anything in its path.”

 

Now that sounded bad.

 

“Meaning?”

 

“Meaning that if the war continues and if the rumour is true, then your world could be destroyed, along with ours.” Maki’s eyes widened as she processed what she was being told. This was bad, very, very bad. Although, now that she thought about it, things were finally starting to make sense. The weather had been rather odd over the last several weeks. There had been even reports of strange technology malfunctions over the past several months as well.

 

“What type of weapon?” Maki asked, her body tensing as an explosion was heard from the trees above them.

 

“We don’t know,” XV-mon spoke up as he attempted to shield them from the battles around them. “And that’s the problem. No one knows what the leader of the Virals is planning, but we are fearing the worst.”

 

XV-mon seemed to want to say more, but he was interrupted when a huge collision of the fighting Digimon above resulted in a forest fire. Maki found herself and Daigo being pushed by the older Digimon before they could be hit by the fallen limbs of burning trees. “XV-mon!” Plotmon and Wormmon yelled as the raging fire separated them.

 

“Go!” XV-mon yelled. “Find the Great Elder! Save this world!”

 

“No, not without you!” Plotmon and Wormmon cried.

 

Maki looked at the two Digimon. Was XV-mon their caretaker? _How had he known to find us?_

 

XV-mon smiled at them sadly. “I have taught you all you needed to know.” XV-mon then turned around as two dragons flew straight for him. “Goodbye, my children. May the Holy Beasts guide you. X-Laser!”


	4. Chapter 4

Maki and Daigo watched in horror as the two dragons, which XV-mon identified for them as Devidramon, aimed punches at XV-mon’s chest. The first blow brought the blue and white draconic Digimon to his knees and a crack was heard.

 

Plotmon’s eyes widened. She had heard about this and had hoped never to hear it. “Not the DigiCore...” She cried under her breath.

 

The second strike made XV-mon vanish from existence, but not before he got one final comment in. “Go, my warriors.”

 

Plotmon burst into tears as Daigo moved to comfort her. Maki didn’t find that odd at all. Despite the fact that Plotmon was her partner, Maki never kept her emotions on her sleeve like Daigo did. She was quite happy to let him comfort her Digimon as long as she was able to help Wormmon when and if the insect Digimon needed reassuring.

 

Maki glanced over at Wormmon and found he wasn’t disturbed by the role reversal either. That obviously said something on how close the two Digimon were. _Interesting_.

 

After a while, it seemed Daigo had managed to calm Plotmon. He gave her one last pat and stood up from his kneeling position. “I’m really sorry.” He felt bad that the two had had to witness their caretaker’s permanent death, but knew as they were presently they had no chance against more experienced Digimon.

 

Plotmon nodded, her smile full of sadness. “It’s okay,” she replied, sounding miserable. “Thank you for your help.”

 

This was the first time she’d seen an actual death. XV-mon had shielded them from all of the fatalities, except his own. It rattled her more than she wanted to admit; even now, after Daigo had helped to calm her, she still felt like crying.

 

Knowing she should trust her partner, Plotmon leaped up.

 

Maki caught her and turned to Daigo, who was still staring at the spot where XV-mon had died. “Let’s go. We need to press on if we want to find this ‘Great Elder’ XV-mon mentioned.”

 

Admittedly, Maki was finding this hard to deal with as well. Tears pricked at the sides of her eyes, but she refused to shed them. Not in front of Daigo; she didn’t want him knowing she could get emotional, too.

 

Daigo didn’t answer. He just picked up Wormmon and followed her as she walked away from the ‘resting place’ of a Digimon. _I’m so sorry_.

 

Given that fighting was still taking place around them, the two Chosen humans headed for the nearest village in a hurried manner. Plotmon spoke to them both in general when she explained that the village was just over the hill they’d begun climbing.

 

“That’s good to know,” Daigo answered, trying to remain happy. It wasn’t quite working; they could all hear the strain in his voice.

 

Wormmon glanced up at Daigo, worried for him. The Virus-attribute had seen, just at a single look before, that his partner could be an emotional person. He didn’t want him to ever not be.

 

A Digimon appeared in the sky above them and they flinched, expecting to be attacked. The Digimon came to rest on the ground as she introduced herself. “Forgive me for scaring you, Chosen Ones, it was not my intention. My name is Darcmon.”

 

Maki shared a long glance with Daigo and he eventually nodded in return. “Himekawa Maki,” she responded shortly.

 

Daigo seemed to straighten himself out, realizing his leadership was being scrutinized. “I’m Nishijima Daigo. Plotmon and Wormmon are our partners.”

 

Darcmon picked up that Daigo knew and she smiled warmly, wanting to prove she was not a threat. The angel would quickly learn, though, that earning their trust was not that easy considering what they had already been through. “Before he left our world to retrieve the both of you, XV-mon requested that I find you if he ever did not make it back to the village.”

 

Darcmon was saddened to learn he indeed hadn’t made it back and part of her wanted to blame these young humans. But she wouldn’t, because XV-mon wouldn’t have wanted her to do that.

 

Maki’s eyes narrowed, feeling as if Darcmon was blaming them for the blue and white dragon’s passing. “Daigo?” The stoic girl submitted to the slightly older boy as she phrased her inquiry. Maki wanted to know Daigo’s thoughts on the underlying ‘blame’ that was being pointed at them.

 

“Let it go, Maki. Darcmon’s not blaming us, even if it feels like she is.” He replied quietly. Daigo just wanted to reach the village and rest. He had been through a lot both during his time here and whilst travelling to the Digital World in XV-mon’s arms.

 

Darcmon watched in silence, observing the pair interact with each other. She looked away, ashamed she had wanted to destroy their hope. “I apologize for wanting to devastate the worlds’ hope of being saved. I overstepped boundaries that should not have been crossed when I accused you.”

 

She honestly hoped the Great Elder would delete her on sight when they returned to the village. Darcmon had committed an unforgivable sin and would be judged accordingly, she knew this to be true.

 

The angel was startled out of her thoughts when Daigo placed a hand on her shoulder. “W-What are you doing?” Surprise was evident in her voice.

 

“You looked like you were thinking about death,” he put forward. “It’s not time yet.”


	5. Chapter 5

Darcmon was silent, not knowing what to say. Finally, she spoke, her voice cracking as she explained one of their folktales that every Digimon knew. Members of the Virals’ army were often keen to exploit the weakness, so she wanted to warn them in advance.

 

“As long as this world’s existed, there’s been a myth about DigiCores.” The angel began, trying not to think about XV-mon’s death.

 

“DigiCores...?” Maki inquired, getting a nod from Plotmon.

 

The puppy clarified that that was what she had heard crack earlier when XV-mon was punched by the Devidramon.

 

“Essentially, they’re our hearts.” Darcmon added.

 

Daigo was surprised; he hadn’t realized Digimon had hearts. _Incredible_.

 

“Well, they’re not really hearts as such,” Wormmon put forward his contribution. “They’re more of an orb that reside in our chests, as you already know.”

 

Most Digimon took great care in not getting them damaged because, if a Digimon’s DigiCore was cracked, reconfiguration was no longer an option. Only death awaited them if their ‘heart’ was cracked and they instinctively knew this. That was why most Digimon of the Vaccine or Data attribute fought defensively, to protect their chests.

 

Virus-attributes battled aggressively, not caring what happened to their DigiCores.

 

“I better take you into the village, anyway. The Great Elder is expecting you,” Darcmon commented, before sighing.

 

Daigo and Maki glanced at each other; they could both tell she was guilty about accusing them and still wanted to be deleted. “Why do you still want death?” Maki’s voice was low, but Darcmon heard her perfectly.

 

The Adult level stared at her, Darcmon’s eyes world-weary. “Because... I sinned. I accused the Chosen Children of something they didn’t do, therefore I should face the consequences of my actions.”

 

“It was a mistake, Darcmon.” Daigo tried to get the Digimon to understand.

 

As they walked into the village, Daigo observed Maki’s façade of being stoic. However, he could tell easily by her eyes she was hurt by Darcmon’s stance regarding XV-mon. Plotmon had picked up on it as well, but was reluctant to tell her superior.

 

All Daigo could do was place a hand on his friend’s shoulder. Maki was that engrossed in her thoughts she didn’t even feel it and that concerned Daigo a little. He shook her gently, his eyes widening in shock when she looked at him dazedly.

 

“Maki-chan, please, it’s not our fault.” He whispered to her.

 

“Daigo-kun...”

 

Plotmon called out a greeting to a fellow Child level, a Kotemon. She knew him as a knight-in-training. Getting a cheery “Hi!” back made her look around for her other friends.

 

Ryudamon ought to be here somewhere - ah, there he was! Plotmon jumped out of Maki’s arms, surprising her partner as she raced over to say hello to the crafts ‘mon of the village.

 

“How are you going, Ryu?” The cream puppy inquired, cheekily jumping all around his workplace and using his nickname.

 

Ryudamon tore his eyes away from Maki, feeling sorry for the girl. “It’s going good, kitty.”

 

The young dragon knew Plotmon hated being called ‘kitty’, so he used it on her every chance he had. It was a fun way to get her back for her calling him ‘Ryu’. He laughed when she made a mad face and batted at him with a paw.

 

“Plotmon, Ryu! I’m Plotmon!” She exclaimed, but collapsed laughing, knowing it was a joke.

 

The Great Elder was resting at the back of the village. The Cannondramon slowly raised his head and watched as Darcmon led them in.

 

“Here they are, Elder. Apologies for my actions.” Darcmon knelt and pleaded for forgiveness.

 

The ancient cyborg Digimon stared at Darcmon for a long moment with narrowed eyes. “You are forgiven, but I expect a full explanation for your behaviour towards the Chosen later. Now leave. I want to talk to the Chosen in private.”

 

Darcmon breathed an inaudible sigh of relief, before leaving. “Yes, Great Elder.”

 

Cannondramon then turned his eyes towards Daigo and Maki. “And you two. You shouldn’t be so quick to let Darcmon’s actions slide. Accusing a Chosen of something they have no control over is an unforgivable sin; an unspoken law. There will be serious consequences for Darcmon later.”

 

“Wait, why?” Daigo protested, wanting to help Darcmon in any way he could. He didn’t want her to die, but it seemed likely that she would.

 

Cannondramon peered down at the teen. “Why, you ask? She broke an unspoken law. Laws, unspoken or not, are not to be broken.”

 

“But...”

 

Cannondramon shook his head no. That was clearly the end of that line of discussion. “Moving on... I’ll assume XV-mon informed you of me and what I know about the leader of the Virals?”

 

“Yes, sir,” Maki answered flatly. She was hurt that there was no hope for Darcmon. _Sorry_.

 

Subordinates were to behave and obey. Everyone who worked under Cannondramon knew that. Disobedient subordinates were punished: everyone knew that as well.

 

However, Chosen Children were revered. Any action against them by a Digimon under Cannondramon’s rule got that Digimon deleted.

 

No exceptions, none. Cannondramon was a tough village elder.

 

“His name is Gulfmon. Hardly anyone knows him except those who have fought against him and the Digimon who serve directly under him.” The Great Elder began.

 

Daigo thought for a minute. “Do you know what the weapon is they’re working on?”

 

Cannondramon nodded. “It’s a weapon of mass destruction.”


	6. Chapter 6

While Cannondramon was talking with Daigo and Maki, Plotmon scurried off to continue her conversation with Ryudamon. Finding him wasn’t hard, as he was still creating armour for the Adult level Digimon.

 

“Hey, Ryu~” The puppy sing-songed as she entered the building.

 

The small dragon sighed. “Kinda busy, kitty.”

 

“Aww.”

 

_Well, I suppose it can’t hurt. It’s not like we’re going to war right this moment..._ Ryudamon mused as he lay the welder down after turning it off. He did wonder why Plotmon was so eager to talk when she knew her Chosen human was upset. “What’s up?” Ryudamon asked as he approached his friend.

 

“I’ll be leaving the village soon... I didn’t want to go without saying goodbye to the Digimon who were my closest friends,” Plotmon explained. She briefly looked out the door, up to the sky. “I’ll miss you all.”

 

“You know we will miss you too.” _But you’re not going just yet, so why the rush?_ Ryudamon didn’t understand why she was so anxious to bid farewell to the village and her friends, when she wasn’t going for another few days.

 

Plotmon sighed, remembering everything good in her life. “I’ll even miss Swanmon.” She knew full well she wasn’t leaving for at least another three days, but she felt as though if she didn’t say goodbye now, she wouldn’t get a chance to later on.

 

Ryudamon’s eyes narrowed slightly. Did she know something and was keeping it from Cannondramon-sama? “Kitty, you aren’t hiding something, are you?”

 

Ryudamon knew Plotmon could be cunning when she wanted to be, so he was relieved when she replied in the negative. “I wouldn’t hide anything from Cannondramon-sama, Ryu, you know that.” Her words had a bite to them: she felt offended, so the blacksmith was obliged to say sorry.

 

“I apologize for offending you, Plotmon. I was just worried that you knew something was going to happen to the village and hadn’t told anyone.” Ryudamon clarified in his defence.

 

_Huh?_ “I would never do that, not in any life!” Plotmon barked, angry. How dare he...? She whirled on her heel.

 

Ryudamon blinked, realizing he had likely just broken their friendship. “Kitty, wait!”

 

“Stay away from me,” came the choked snarl.

 

Plotmon tore off, tears streaming down her face, anger burning and making her want to get away from everyone. She resorted to hiding in her favourite hidey hole just outside the village, but still well away from the fighting and explosions.

 

Unfortunately for her, Ryudamon knew her favourite places to hide as well and stood in silence, gathering his thoughts. “Kitty- Plotmon, I am so sorry for saying that. I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings. Please,  _please_ ... forgive me.”

* * *

After sending the two Chosen away, Darcmon approached Cannondramon-sama and knelt. “Please, Great Elder... I should die for what I did. I never should have accused the Chosen like that.”

 

“And die you will. But first, I want to know why. Why did you hold them responsible for XV-mon’s death?”

 

At her leader’s tone, Darcmon broke. “He wouldn’t have died if they hadn’t come,” she sobbed.

 

XV-mon had been her best friend while they were growing up, but their destinies changed when XV-mon was appointed to bring Plotmon and Wormmon’s partners from the human world before it was too late.

 

The first Chosen Child had arrived a couple of weeks before the decision was made, when it didn’t look as though the fighting was too bad. But then, the war resumed with a vengeance and more Chosen had to be retrieved.

 

“He was going to die regardless, Darcmon.” Cannondramon humphed.

 

Call him callous, heartless, whatever you wanted, but Cannondramon knew death was a fact of life in war. It could not be avoided, no matter how hard one tried. Even the best Vaccine and Data-attributes died eventually, because they got cocky from too many close calls.

 

Cannondramon had seen much in his long life, far too much: friends who had had their lives cut short before they had even truly lived, enemies who reconfigured with their memories intact, all kinds of things. Hardly anything surprised him nowadays.

 

“He wasn’t even in his fourth year!” The angel cried, hand trembling on her sword.

 

She was prepared to end her own life if Cannondramon-sama kept dragging out her agony. Darcmon reacted on instinct and drew her sword, but wasn’t prepared for the Great Elder’s tail grabbing it before she could complete her task.

 

“Enough of this, Darcmon.” He spoke low, but she heard his obvious aggravation. “I said you will die, but it will not be by your hand. I will give you a warrior’s death so you may join XV-mon, since it seems you liked him as more than a friend, judging by your actions.” _Of all the love-struck warriors... them?_

 

Darcmon bowed her head in respect. “Forgive me for being foolish, Cannondramon-sama. My emotions...”

 

“I know, you’re forgiven.” Cannondramon answered, a hint of regret in his tone.

 

His tail then angled the sword at Darcmon’s DigiCore and drove it in, eyes closing as he heard the crack. Handing the sword back to her, he lowered his head to her level and fired the twin guns that were attached to the armour on his face.

 

Darcmon’s DigiCore completely shattered and she vanished. She didn’t exist anymore.

 

For a moment, he had quiet.

 

Then, footsteps crunched up. “It’s go time, Great Elder.”


	7. Chapter 7

Cannondramon turned to face the new arrival and his eyes widened, before narrowing again. “You!” He knew this Chosen, had believed in him to help save the Digital World. “What are you doing here?!” But this Chosen had gone rogue, siding with the Virus-attributes, claiming he quite liked the idea of a weapon that attacked a Digimon’s DigiCore.

 

The male smirked, the expression twisted by sick morals. “Nothin’ much. Just wanted to see Dorumon’s old home... before you all perish.”

 

His partner, a Dinohumon evolved from said Dorumon, stood loyally by his side. Though there was a slight hint of regret in the lizard man’s eyes, he would never disobey Master Shun.

 

Another figure dropped down from the tree that reached above them, as a Liamon stalked out of the nearby bushes. “Miyazaki Shun, never thought I’d see you again.” The figure, a teen girl dressed like a ninja, spoke in disgust. One hand held her gold Digivice; the other was patting her partner.

 

The black-haired boy lazily blinked in her direction. “Oh look, it’s Fujiwara Hanako. How’s the rigours of the Digital Worl’ treating ya?”

 

Hanako didn’t answer, her hand firmly clenched in Liamon’s fur. The lion Digimon himself had bared his fangs and was seconds away from snarling. “Easy boy,” the redhead whispered. She knew, however, that she wasn’t fooling her partner one bit.

 

“Whoa everyone. Time out, okay?” The third member of the Children who had been chosen before Daigo and Maki came riding in on his GeoGreymon. “Shun, total mood spoiler. Not good. What are you doing here anyway? You know Cannondramon-sama banned you from coming back.”

 

Shun gave the other boy a deadpan stare. “Hashimoto Taisuke, like I’m going to let that stop me. Seriously? You’re on the wrong side; come over to the Virus-attributes-”

 

“ _Enough_ , Shun.” Taisuke made his voice very audible as he pointed to the exit of the village. “Get out. Cannondramon-sama doesn’t want you here and neither do we.”

 

The brunette had clearly established himself as the leader of the three when they were picked; his steady gaze and voice and the way he held himself while on his partner’s shoulder was evidence of his purpose.

 

Shun was hardly surprised at their dislike of him; he had earned many enemies when he’d chosen to switch allegiances. “Aww, you don’t want to party.. Boo hoo...” Nonetheless, he left without much resistance, Dinohumon following closely.

 

As Taisuke and Hanako watched him leave, Taisuke issued an instruction to his team-mate. “Make sure they both go far away from the village.” He had seen the sadness in the Great Elder’s eyes, guessing he had had to just delete one of his warriors for something unforgivable.

 

A soldier’s daughter, Hanako mock-saluted. “Will do, Taisuke.” She mounted Liamon and gave his head a long pat, before giving him orders. “Come on, boy, we’ll follow them to the gate. We have to ensure they don’t come back.”

 

“Okay, Hanako.” Liamon answered, his voice a rich baritone. Evolving from a newly hatched Popomon, Liamon’s goal was to become a BanchouLeomon. He planned to devote his life to becoming stronger and protecting the weak.

 

While he waited for Hanako to return, Taisuke caught his partner staring at two other children. “GeoGreymon, buddy... what I have said about that?” He wasn’t really reprimanding, more reminding his Digimon of etiquette.

 

The Greymon subspecies had the decency to look embarrassed, so Taisuke had to smile faintly as GeoGreymon spoke. “I apologize for staring, you two. I didn’t think any more Chosen would get called after us.”

 

Daigo waved it off and smiled, not noticing Wormmon beside him become incredibly nervous. “You don’t have to worry at all. We were just called, actually. We’d been on our way to school when XV-mon arrived and brought us here.”

 

Maki deadpanned at Daigo. “They don’t need to know everything.”

 

“You are?” Taisuke inquired. He wanted to know who he was addressing, so that they could become friends.

 

“Himekawa Maki.”

 

“Nishijima Daigo.”

 

So these two were his new team-mates. Well, he better introduce himself. “I’m Hashimoto Taisuke. This is GeoGreymon; he evolved from an Hackmon. The girl who just left is Fujiwara Hanako and her partner, Liamon.”

 

Wormmon was still fidgeting beside Daigo, so the Nishijima boy looked down. “What’s wrong?”

 

“They’re our elders, in a sense. They came before you,” Wormmon explained. Even though Daigo was the leader out of him and Maki, Taisuke had more experience and battle knowledge.

 

Maki glanced down at Plotmon, who had returned after her fight with Ryudamon. “You’re expecting us to respect them?”

 

Plotmon beamed up at her partner. “Pretty much, Maki-chan.”

 

“What?! No, not gonna happen. I follow Daigo before anyone else.” Maki protested.

 

Taisuke blinked, surprised, not sure what he had been expecting. Maki’s attitude hadn’t been it. “Ah... I’m sure we can work out a chain of command, right Maki-san?”

 

Maki ignored the other boy and still didn’t respond when Daigo poked her in the ribs. “I’m sorry, Taisuke-san. Maki can be like this at times.” Daigo apologized for his friend’s behaviour.

 

“Not to worry. I’m okay.” Despite his laid-back manner, Taisuke was an excellent strategist and was already forming a plan of action they would use when they began their assault on the Virus-attributes. Of course, he factored in that Daigo’s partner was a Virus-attribute, but what would ruin his plan? Nothing, he honestly hoped. _Hmm..._


	8. Chapter 8

Hanako glanced behind her as she and Liamon stood at the gate, watching Shun and Dinohumon leave the village. Something was off with the Maki girl, but she couldn’t quite pin down the feeling. However… _No, it’s too early to think that_. She reasoned with herself. _Too early to blame_.

 

“Hanako, are you alright?” Liamon questioned, his head tilted in her direction. The Adult level lion believed he was the personification of everything just. Even if he were to fall under the enemy’s control, he would not – no matter the cost – attack his own partner. His will was that strong.

 

Hanako faced her partner, touched by his concern for her. “I’m okay. Just thinking about that Maki girl we saw earlier. I feel like there’s something about her, but I’m not sure what it is. Could Shun have influenced her when he was in the real world…?” She asked quietly.

 

Liamon’s keen hearing, however, allowed him to pick up what his Chosen had murmured. He found he had to agree with Hanako’s theory. Liamon wasn’t sure how it had happened, but it was definitely there.

 

“The only way we’re going to know for sure is if she makes a move.” He stated with conviction, his eyes aflame with determination.

 

Hanako couldn’t help but smile at her partner’s very strong sense of justice. “Too true, Liamon. We should head back now that Shun’s gone. Taisuke will be waiting for us; hopefully he hasn’t started wondering where we are by now. Heh...”

 

The two walked back to the main hub of the village, looking at all of the shops and businesses as they re-entered. Hanako herself thought that this little village was a beautiful place. It hurt her how one of their own had chosen the path of evil to walk down.

* * *

 

Like Hanako had implied, despite Taisuke’s intelligence, he could be a little forgetful. This often meant Hanako had to remind her Dragon what plans they had made or where they were headed next.

 

Seeing Hanako return from the gate, he blinked and was about to ask her where she’d been. Taisuke watched in confusion as his second-in-command placed her hand on his shoulder and placed a finger from her other hand on his lips. “You sent me to the gate, remember? I understand that you have trouble remembering. So when our mission is over, we’re gonna get this sorted out.”

 

“O-okay, sure,” Taisuke answered, not entirely sure what she meant by ‘sorted out’. Anyway, now that she was back, he wanted to go over his plan for the team. “We will be heading out on reconnaissance in two days, so I want you and Maki to be fully rested. Okay?”

 

He directed the first command to the new Chosen, Hanako noticed. She wondered what he had in mind for themselves.

 

“And we...” Taisuke paused, glancing at Hanako. “… will be at the front line. First to attack if the enemy engages us.”

 

 _That’s suicide!_ Hanako thought, becoming increasingly alarmed. _What?_ What in Huanglongmon’s name was he thinking? Hanako knew Taisuke had a lot of pride due to his lineage hailing back from the first soldier who defended Japan, but this was absolute madness. What he was describing was essentially a suicide mission. Why would he do this? She didn’t understand.

 

“It’s what Cannondramon-sama calls a ‘defensive strategy’,” Taisuke explained, seeing the horror in Hanako’s eyes.

 

Everyone knew Taisuke treated Cannondramon as a god and had done so since learning about how old he was. The Digimon watching the briefing, however, were just as shocked as Hanako. This was too far.

* * *

 

A Sunmon bounced over to where Cannondramon-sama was lying in rest and got the village elder’s attention after a few moments.

 

Cannondramon glanced down at the Baby 2 level Digimon and grunted that he was awake. “What is it, young one?” He asked gruffly, blinking, though his tone was friendly.

 

“Oh, Cannondramon-sama, it’s bad.” The little Digimon’s voice squeaked. He explained that Taisuke was taking his teachings too far. The rest of the villagers were now concerned the new Chosen were going to get killed because of Taisuke’s radicalization.

 

 _Hmm… That was bad_. Cannondramon hoisted himself up and plodded over. Daigo and Maki were relieved to see the ageing Digimon again, though they wished it was under different circumstances.

 

“Taisuke! What the blazes do you think you’re doing?!” Cannondramon yelled down at the boy who’d arrived first, whom Hanako and Shun had dubbed ‘their Dragon’ before Shun went completely crazy.

* * *

 

Maki observed silently as Cannondramon berated Taisuke but, all the while, she was making her mind up in the process. One way or another, it seemed corruption was affecting them. Shun had chosen to ally with the Virus-attributes and so, was banished from the village. Taisuke had been radicalized somehow, perhaps by his father?

 

Maki didn’t know. What she did know was that no one here in the village was truly safe. As a Chosen of Light, she could feel the sickening grasp of darkness surrounding each and every Digimon.

 

They just didn’t know it yet.

 

Daigo would want her to alert everyone, but should she tell them? She shook her head, deciding not to. While they hadn’t gotten off to the best start, she was more accepting of the Digital World now.

 

However, she believed it was in her best interests if she joined forces with the exiled Shun.


	9. Chapter 9

Night descended on the village again and everyone settled down to sleep. As the boys slept in the room next to them, with GeoGreymon and Liamon asleep outside, Maki weighed up her options as she lay beside Hanako. Her mind racing, she made the decision of joining Shun at daybreak.

 

The Himekawa girl knew she was condemning the Chosen to failure, since the “good guys” didn’t have as much of an advantage anymore. But Maki had found she could not bring herself to care about Taisuke and Hanako, couldn’t believe Taisuke expected her to follow him.  _Like I would, tch_ .

 

She would leave at the change of shift and make her way out to the open field where she suspected Shun was still waiting. It was as if he knew she would see things from his point of view and come after him eventually.

 

Everything was going according to plan.

 

_His_ plan, for Miyazaki Shun was nothing if not a great planner. Even if he had allied with the Virus-attributes – no, perhaps because of that, Maki felt like she should do things differently. She had grown tired of masquerading as someone good in Daigo’s eyes.

 

So she’d be the opposite.

 

Maki turned over on her side and closed her eyes, letting exhaustion claim her.

 

Hours passed and the bird-like Digimon began calling their names. Maki sat up and checked her left. Good, Hanako was still asleep. She got to her feet, picked up Plotmon in her arms and snuck out.

 

The Himekawa girl waited until the night shift Digimon went inside the hut with the day shift guard. She moved past the guardhouse as fast as she could, but also as quietly as she could. Maki didn’t want anyone to hear her departure, nor raise the alarm that she defected.

* * *

 

“Master, do you really think she will come?” Dinohumon asked submissively as the humanoid rested against a tree, his eyes closed.

 

Shun paused in the middle of destroying a Digitama that they’d found out here. “Course she will. She could tell we knew what we were doing from the outset.”

 

Dinohumon didn’t answer that claim. He had no idea why his Chosen had allied himself with the Virus-attributes and he wasn’t sure if he even wanted to know. All that he had believed in, all that he stood for as a warrior of Light had been ripped away from him.

 

But all he could do in the aftermath was follow his Chosen on the human’s desired path, even if his heart wasn’t in it. Dinohumon sighed, knowing his fellow Chosen Digimon would forever hate him for this.

 

“Why are you sighing?” Shun’s voice had an edge to it.

 

_Not again…_ Dinohumon swallowed nervously. He hated it whenever his Master’s voice got an edge to it, because that meant Shun wasn’t happy for some reason. And when Shun wasn’t happy, he generally took his anger out on him.

 

“No reason, Master. I was just think-”

 

“Cut the crap, Dinohumon. _Tell_ me.”

* * *

 

Plotmon observed her surroundings as Maki continued to hold her in her arms as she made her way to Shun. Finally, the little creamy puppy spoke up. “Maki-chan, you didn’t think to ask about my feelings on the matter.”

 

Plotmon was intelligent. It hurt her that Maki didn’t once ask.

 

Maki stumbled with her explanation. “I-I didn’t think I had to, Plotmon. Sorry. I thought this was what you wanted as well.”

 

“It is.” Plotmon answered, smirking. But she had had to fool Wormmon and her mentor, XV-mon, too. Doing that was easy, but continuing it was getting increasingly harder.

* * *

 

Back at the village, Taisuke had woken Daigo. “Your friend’s gone with Shun,” the gogglehead told him. The look on his face was grim.

 

Daigo had an inkling that that meant they had new orders to hunt the two traitors down. He lowered his head, feeling like he should cry.

 

_Why Maki-chan?_ Why had she done this? Had she truly felt like she didn’t belong? He would never know now. His classmate and girlfriend, in his eyes, had backstabbed him. But he would never stop believing that she could be saved. There had to be a way to save her.

 

“I would leave her,” Taisuke continued.

 

He knew the look in Daigo’s eyes. The ones that betrayed of their own will often didn’t want to be saved. Maki had seemed pretty wilful when Taisuke had first seen her. There was no turning back from a willing act of treason.

 

None.

* * *

 

“Ah, there you are.” Shun grandstanded, his arms splayed in a mocking gesture of welcome. “You took your time.”

 

Maki didn’t reply immediately, appearing to think over her words. “I had to avoid the guards,” was all she said in the end.

 

“Oh? Is that all? Tch, ask next time.”

* * *

 

Cannondramon stood in the centre of the town, while the villagers gathered around him. “The new Chosen, Himekawa Maki, has been declared a traitor. The village’s assigned guardians have the authority to hunt her down and kill her and her partner.”

 

“As you wish, Cannondramon-sama!” Three Adults responded in unison. They tore off towards the gate, heading for where Shun had made his base with Maki. As Cannondramon-sama’s personal guards, they would show no mercy to anyone who betrayed the village.

 

They had been trained from a young age, after all, to be professional assassins. They would not fail now.


	10. Chapter 10

“No, wait! Please!” Daigo cried in protest. He didn’t want to see any harm come to Maki, even if it drove a wedge between him and the Digimon in the village.

 

Cannondramon looked the teen squarely in the eye. “Silence, boy! I will not let this village suffer any more deaths.”

 

“But Maki… She wouldn’t-” Daigo tried to explain, but was cut off by one of the sentinels of the village.

 

The SlashAngemon thrust his bladed arm up to Daigo’s neck, the weapon’s tip touching his throat. “That’s enough. Cannondramon-sama’s laws are absolute. Traitors must be punished for betraying us.”

 

Unwillingly, Daigo fell silent, but still held a defiant expression. The sentinel regarded him warily, speculating if he would defect as well.

 

Wormmon was understandably very anxious; he didn’t feel complete unless the warmth of Plotmon’s body was beside him. He missed his friend, but knew he would fight her.

 

The Virus-attributed insect knew instinctively he would have to fight Plotmon. It was a no-brainer. There was truly no way to avoid this fate. _Ah, at least we were friends for as long as it lasted_ , Wormmon reflected sadly. He glanced up at Daigo, worried as well for his human.

* * *

 

Shun stood in a slouched manner, observing Maki casually. Having been under Cannondramon’s tutelage previously, he knew the ageing warrior did not tolerate people who betrayed him or the village.

 

So when he lowered his cap over his eyes and half turned into the shadows to give a series of complicated whistles, he was well aware the fight between right and wrong was just getting started.

 

“What was that?” Maki asked sharply, eyeing the other teen cautiously. _If that was a signal for the village’s guards to attack-_. She began thinking, but her thoughts were interrupted by Shun’s low laughter.

 

He glanced at her, one eye hidden by his bangs. “That, my dear, was a signal to my allies. They’re waiting to ambush Cannondramon’s men.”

 

Maki paused, sensing the confidence in Shun’s words. “Your allies? What Digimon are they?”

 

“Ah, ah, ah.” Shun teased, wagging a finger back and forth. “Trade secret, but you’ll see soon enough. They’re nearly here...”

 

As much as Maki was Shun’s ally, she found him infuriating at the same time. She was beginning to see him for what he truly seemed to be: a sadist. Perhaps that was why he defected to the Virus-attributed forces.

 

A small group of Yaksamon ran towards where the base was, calling out to Shun to show himself.

 

Shun merely smirked from where he was. _Almost there…_ He thought, knowing the Digimon allied with him would make the point of their ambush clear without fail. _Right about… there! Strike now!_

 

The varied gang of mercenaries had formed a ring around the four Yaksamon, leaving them with no way out.

 

Nowhere to run.

 

Just the way Shun liked it.

 

A Ravmon began the assault, prompting his equals to follow suit. The mercenaries finished the bloodbath in minutes, electing to let one survivor return to the village.

 

“Be grateful we let you go back to that fool, Cannondramon.” One snapped when the surviving Yaksamon questioned why he hadn’t died with his companions.

 

“Yeah, don’t be so stupid to think we’ll leave you be if you don’t get going _now_.” A Callismon snarled.

* * *

 

Fearing for his life, the Yaksamon ran off, haemorrhaging data badly as his injuries affected his movement.

 

The Callismon scoffed. “He won’t make it back.”

 

“And even if he does make it back, he won’t be able to tell them much before his data vanishes.” The Ravmon added.

 

Maki was stunned at the sheer amount of arrogant confidence these Digimon had. Just how long had they been killers? “Um… how long…?” She hesitated to ask.

 

“Have we been killers?” A third finished for the girl. He snorted with laughter. “Since we knew how to slice and dice. We’ve been at this for longer than you’ve been alive.”

 

A Mephismon nodded. “And that’s saying something, even with the reconfiguring. Shun met us in our second lives.”

 

“Alright, party’s over. You guys did your job. Quieten down.” Shun commanded. The Digimon obeyed immediately.

 

Maki raised an eyebrow. These Digimon were experienced assassins, much like the Digimon they had killed, yet here a human was ordering them around. _How is this even possible?_ Maki felt quite bewildered. _Yeah…_

* * *

 

Just as the mercenaries predicted, the Yaksamon was almost gone by the time he returned to the village. Cannondramon was surprised at his warriors’ fates.

 

“Cannondramon-sama… they overpowered us… killed my brethren...” Yaksamon collapsed as what little data there was left disappeared.

 

This disturbed the ageing warrior; never before had he seen the village’s guards defeated so easily like this. He was reluctant to send more warriors out to scope out the situation, but this…

 

SlashAngemon spoke up, slightly rattled at his friend’s death. “Cannondramon-sama, we’ve just lost some of our best protectors. Should the vanguard and I go to monitor what’s going on?”

 

“No,” Cannondramon rasped curtly. “Absolutely not. I forbid any more warriors from going out there. Shun is cleverer than I thought.”

 

SlashAngemon blinked, surprised by the command. But he nodded compliance, agreeing with his leader that that was the best move they’d made today.

 

A Child Digimon ran up to them. “Cannondramon-sama, what do you want us to do? Should we train to become stronger?”

 

“I believe that is wise, Gazimon.”


End file.
